Pharaoh’s Treatment of the Sorcerers After Their Faith in Musa (AS)
Authored by: Dr. Raza Abdullah Pasha (Hafizahullah)
❖ Question:
How did Pharaoh treat the sorcerers when they believed in Musa (AS)?
❖ Answer:
Allah ﷻ narrates Pharaoh’s words:
﴿إِنَّهُ لَكَبِيرُكُمُ الَّذِي عَلَّمَكُمُ السِّحْرَ فَلَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴾ [الشعراء: 49]
"Indeed, he is surely your leader who has taught you sorcery, but soon you will come to know."
Pharaoh insulted them, threatened them, and attempted to frighten them. But this only increased them in faith and submission, for Allah had removed the veils of disbelief from their hearts.
They realized with certainty that what Musa (AS) had brought could only come from a man supported by Allah, not from any ordinary magician.
When Pharaoh said: ﴿آمَنتُمْ لَهُ قَبْلَ أَنْ آذَنَ لَكُمْ ﴾ — “You believed in him before I gave you permission” — it reflected his arrogance and claim to absolute authority.
He tried to assert that their faith required his approval, saying: “If I had allowed, you could have believed; if I had forbidden, you should have refrained. For I am the one worthy of obedience.”
But in reality, the sorcerers had never known Musa (AS) before, nor had they joined him. They recognized instantly that his miracle was beyond human capacity and could only be from Allah.
Thus, Pharaoh’s accusations were baseless, a desperate attempt to maintain his false pride, while the truth of Allah’s miracle stood manifest.
